What is wrong with this nasty raccoon!? (video)

Andora

Songster
11 Years
Aug 26, 2008
1,741
60
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Lexington, Kentucky
We had an unwanted visitor this afternoon.

I heard our chickens making their warning noises and I glanced out but didn't see anything. We've been having a couple of tom cats roaming around and spraying. They never bother the chickens, but the chickens still freak out when they see them. I figured that's all it was since I'd just seen a black and white tom cat out front half an hour earlier. I sent my black lab mix out in the back with chickens and went back to what I was doing...

Then I heard the dog barking and growling. Looked out the door and a big fat raccoon was climbing the fence right into my dog's snapping jaws! In broad day light!

I ran out to look closer and realized something was really wrong with it...I know it's a warning sign to see a raccoon acting that way in the middle of the day. It had no eyeballs! Just crusted foamy sockets. It was also drooling and coughing. It slimed my dog's head, I'm worried she'll catch distemper or whatever it was sick with.
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Her vaccines are out of date.

Here's a short video, because I had the little Flip video camera in my coat pocket. Check out the raccoons eyes. You can hear my head rooster freaking out, lol.


It got away. It ran under the neighbor's big shed and then no one could find it. I hope it goes somewhere far away from my property and dies.
 
I would take the dog to the vet asap...even if it cost extra. there is something very wrong with that raccoon and if it truely slimed your dog then there is a perfect chance at your dog ending up sick and even worse passing it to you or your family. go to the vet right now is the best advice I can give other then set out traps and try and trap and dispose of that raccoon.
 
Take the others' advice and get your dog to a vet. Really sounds like rabies. If your dog's vacines aren't too far out of date, he/she may still be safe. Although a lot of areas require annual rabies vaccinations the vacines sometimes last up to 2 or 3 years. Also, the slime does have to get into the dog, not just on the skin, but a bite or scratch could be bad.
 
It was just right on top of her head, so hopefully not in her eyes or nose. No bites.

I think it had distemper and not rabies, but who really knows. I wish we'd have shot it now because I could take it in for testing. It was still able to walk and climb, it just had no eyes and it was like it had a bad cold. Drool instead of foam.

There aren't any vets here open on Sundays, but I'm planning on taking the dogs in first thing Monday to get their vaccines updated...my out door kitty also.
 
Hi Andora,
I did a little googling about raccoon eye diseases. (Took a bit- didn't know it is a human medical term) I found it occasionally listed as a distemper symptom, and frequently mentioned as a raccoon roundworm symptom. Raccoon roundworm sounds like it's pretty nasty parasite that is easily transmitted mostly through the feces. Please get your dog checked out!!! Rabies, Distemper, and Raccoon Roundworm all can be fatal.
Good luck

Imp
 
We have been having a big problem with racoons having distemper near my area. They act more stupid than vicious. Usually walking around in circles and stuff like that. At least that's was the local animal control said it probably was.
 
I just read that the distemper vaccine is effective in dogs already exposed if vaccinated within 4 days of exposure. I feel so relieved! Monday will only be about two days, should be safe.
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Distemper is the one most concerning to me because it's airborne...

I'll ask the vet about the raccoon roundworm too, and of course rabies.

If that raccoon comes back tomorrow it's getting an express trip to paradise, lol.

By the way Imp, those berry bushes you sent me are growing! Just the blackberries so far, but they seem to have spread and made two new bushes in the snow over the winter. Holy crap! My neighbor now has blackberries growing in his yard, oops.
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Can't wait to see what the raspberries do when it warms up out!
 
Quote:
Holy crapola, I planted some raspberries that I got from a BYC-er and I think last year's heavy rains flooded them out. They tried to grow several times and kept getting flooded, and moldy, and I haven't seen hide nor hair since then.
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